


Love Like You

by MelodicAscent



Series: Kidge Week 2019 [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Crossover, Don't look at me like that guys there aren't male gems except halfbreeds, F/F, F/M, Genderbend, It's technically still Kidge, Kidge Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 08:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18495268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodicAscent/pseuds/MelodicAscent
Summary: Era Three has kicked off a lot of changes throughout the universe. Pidge, an Emerald who has kept her personality under wraps for the sake of the Diamond Authority, finally gets the chance to make a difference.





	Love Like You

**Author's Note:**

> I’m going to try to stay on top of this, but with finals, I might fall behind. I need the writing practice, though, so HERE WE GO!  
> For newcomers to my content, I generally try to keep prompts to about 4 pages in Word, so it’s not too long nor too short. It is a one-shot, after all, so it’s not supposed to be crazy.
> 
> Prompt: Fusion AU or Crossover
> 
> Quick disclaimer here: I don’t normally do gender bend. However, for the sake of the crossover, it’s kinda necessary. Besides, some people really like Fem!Keith.

Emerald looked at the incoming procession. Ever since the start of Era Three, things had been…different. But maybe that was a good thing.

After all, now she could smile back at the Ruby who kept shooting her grins instead of ignoring her. Technically, she should have been punishing her, but she had grown fond of the little red soldier, and shattering someone for smiling seemed a little extreme, even for the Diamond Authority.

Despite the changes, though, most gems were still adjusting to new habits and customs. The ball Emerald had been asked to host was as dull as ever. She was supposed to encourage individuality. The human, Steven, had asked her specifically the moment he noticed her making glances at that Ruby.

“Emerald! You should show everyone on your colony about individuality!”

“You’ve got to be joking. I’m an Emerald. Gems look up to me.”

“Exactly! Change is happen, a good kind of change. Besides,” he said, gesturing to the Ruby. “You seem to already be getting there yourself.”

Emerald blushed but said nothing. Steven laughed and climbed back on his lion. “I’d love to come to your party!”

So here she was, in her seat, greeting the various gems as they entered the ballroom. She noticed that some gems were already embracing the new change. There was a Topaz and an Aquamarine gazing into each other’s eyes. Even her own Pearl was distracted by the Peridot in charge of the music.

She sighed. “I suppose I should start,” she said aloud. Her Pearl looked up at her.

“Miss Pidge, are you ready?”

Pidge. She’d been calling herself that for eons, but it was a privately known name. A nickname, of sorts. She used it to help differentiate herself from other Emeralds. Now that a new era was beginning, she’d taken to using the name more publicly.

She nodded. “Go ahead, Allura.”

Allura straightened up and stepped forward. “Gems of all shapes and sizes, colors, origin, and rank, your Emerald, Pidge, is excited to welcome all of you to her Era Three ball. As Era Three begins spreading across the universe, Pidge hopes to spread the message of welfare and love that comes with it.”

Pidge stood up. Once again, she caught the eye of that Ruby.

Akira, she called herself. Pidge was annoying with having to call each Ruby by the same name. The same went throughout all of her gems. As soon as she started using her own unique name, she encouraged others to do the same. Akira shot her a grin and winked, and Pidge smiled.

“Friends, because that’s what we are now. For eons we’ve been loyal to the Diamond Authority, even if it’s been oppressive and incredibly strict. I know it’ll be confusing and difficult to get used to. But I hope all of you can learn to welcome this new era in your own time. I’m not asking everyone to change overnight. It takes time. But I do ask that you at least try. The rules will be more relaxed, and I highly encourage all of you to see your fellow gems as friends, or even more.”

Pidge looked at Akira once again and nodded in her direction. She looked at the other Rubys around her, then pointed at herself, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Pidge nodded. Akira walked over to her. Pidge could tell it was talking a lot of restraint not to bring her arms up in the diamond salute.

The entire ballroom seemed to freeze. There was a tension in the air, uncertainty taking hold of most of the gems present. Akira looked up at Pidge. She stood at about Pidge’s waist. Sweat was beading on her forehead as she waited for her orders.

“I want you to learn from me, your leader, your Emerald, that this is the kind of change that will propel us into a brighter future.” She turned to Akira. “Would you like to dance with me?”

Akira looked shocked and her cheeks turned a darker shade of red, but she nodded.

Allura signaled to the Peridot, Lance. Leave it to a gem to name herself after a weapon. Lance queued up the song Pidge requested.

“The best way for me to show you what we can become is through my own example. Recently, I’ve taken notice of this Ruby. Akira, she calls herself.” Akira’s blush deepened. “A shocking thing about this relationship is our apparent difference in rank. But what’s more astonishing?” Pidge knelt down and planted a kiss on Akira’s forehead. “Is that I love you, Akira.”

Pidge stood back up and took Akira’s hands in hers. The height difference was a little strange at first, but pretty soon, they had a good rhythm going.

Slowly, gem by gem, dancing filled the ballroom. Some in pairs, some in groups. Some with the same type of gem, some with a totally different kind. Pidge looked around, her eyes watering. The love in that room was greater than anything she had ever felt.

She spied Steven up in one of the balconies with his human friend. He’d introduced her as Connie. The two of them were dancing as well. Steven looked at Emerald and waved, then got this excited gleam in his eye. He whispered something to Connie and they both started laughing.

Then there was this bright flash of light.

By the time the light cleared, standing in the place of the two strange beings was an entirely different lifeform, who continued to dance joyfully on her own.

Fusion.

Pidge looked down at Akira, who was staring at her feet, trying not to step on Pidge’s toes.

“Hey,” she whispered, and Akira looked up.

“Yes, my Emerald?” Her voice was deep and husky, and Emerald loved it.

“Just Pidge is fine, Akira. No more formalities.”

“Sorry. What do you need, Pidge?”

“You’ve fused before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, many times. Why?”

“Can you fuse with me?”

Akira’s eyes widened, and then a grin spread across her features. “O-okay! Yeah! So, we gotta be in sync. Like we’re one person. And we have to both want it.”

Pidge nodded. “Okay.” She grabbed Akira under the armpits and lifted her up, spinning her around in time to the music.

“Woah!” She yelled, but she was smiling.

Pidge laughed. “This is so much fun!”

In a flash of light, Pidge and Akira were gone. In their place stood a tall gem. Well, no. Two gems. She had an Emerald on her right shoulder and a ruby on her left knee.

She was almost purple in color. She had four eyes and four arms. She stood about as tall as a Topaz with limb enhancers.

Beryl.

_Akira, can you hear me?_

_Em—I mean, Pidge? What…what happened?_

_We fused._

_Woah, I’ve never fused like this before. I like this better than any other fusion I’ve ever done._

Beryl cleared her throat, getting used to her voice. “This is love,” she said simply. She wrapped her arms around herself and hugged herself, tears pouring out of all four of her eyes. “This is love!” she said louder. Her voice echoed throughout the ballroom.

Then something amazing happened.

Gems all around started fusing, combining to create new gems, new beings, new lifeforms. New love.

“This is love!” Someone called.

“This is love!” Yelled another.

Steven and Connie’s fusion jumped from the balcony, kicking their legs as they drifted to the ground. “THIS IS LOVE!!!” she yelled. The ballroom was filled with cheers.

Allura and Lance, now fused, started the music back up.

It was the best ball any of them had ever been to.

**Author's Note:**

> So this got real cute real fast and I’m not sorry.


End file.
